RECOGNITION

The announcement that the Institute of Biology is finally under way concludes a period of conjecture and doubt that was far from optimistic. The needs of the Biology Department have long been inadequately satisfied, but for many years there was no apparent attempt to alleviate the distressing conditions. Last year it was announced that definite steps were being taken to erect a biological institute, and the prospect was brighter. But a year elapsed and nothing happened, and it was not until the present announcement that the new project became a certainty.

Equipment for such departments of the University is imperative if it is going to attempt to maintain a position in the front ranks of American education. The sciences are an integral part of modern life and the continuous experimental work in such fields as biology is the primary factor of advance. Without the necessary equipment to carry on such effort, Harvard would soon be forced to drop behind in this very essential work. The new unit to be constructed not only assures this university of its place in the scientific world, but it lends an impetus to the general development of scientific progress.